11 lb. Hoka turkey wet brined and herb paste under and on top of the skin.

Stuffing of fresh bread dried in the oven, homemade breakfast sausage, chicken stock, eggs, butter and extra sage leaves. Baked in oven for 1.5 hours covered in the beginning and then uncovered.

Green beans cooked with bacon, apple cider vinegar, onion and garlic.

Hasselback potato gratin cooked in cream, gruyere and parmesean.

Not shown is gravy made from fortified stock (chicken stock simered with browned neck, giblets, onion, carrot and celery) and butter and flour. Cooked until thickened and then turkey fond added.

lougord99 wrote:
11 lb. Hoka turkey wet brined and herb paste under and on top of the skin.

Stuffing of fresh bread dried in the oven, homemade breakfast sausage, chicken stock, eggs, butter and extra sage leaves. Baked in oven for 1.5 hours covered in the beginning and then uncovered.

Green beans cooked with bacon, apple cider vinegar, onion and garlic.

Hasselback potato gratin cooked in cream, gruyere and parmesean.

Not shown is gravy made from fortified stock (chicken stock simered with browned neck, giblets, onion, carrot and celery) and butter and flour. Cooked until thickened and then turkey fond added.

Looks great, Lou. Our celebration at my sister's house went off pretty smoothly. To start, my sister put together this awesome charcuterie board+ . . .


Charcuterie Board, Poke & Deviled Eggs
You just have to be careful here because everything was great but we all knew there was a lot more food to come . . .


Thanksgiving Buffet
There was oven-roasted turkey and smoked turkey -- one of the pre-smoked birds from Costco, which wasn't half-bad.


Magic Elixir
This stuff makes every holiday better!

=R=

Different celebration than usual--though not really sure at this point what "usual" is, as the last few years we've eaten at the retirement home where mom was living.

Lost several family members within the last year, so it was just four of us gathering at my brother's home. It was still delightful, as my brother, his wife, and his son are all serious about food. Thoroughly enjoyed a standing rib roast a la Alton Brown, family favorite wild rice casserole, mashed potatoes with butter, roasted squash, and splendid salad with loads of cucumbers from sister-in-law's extensive garden. For dessert, s-i-l is a serious baker, so we were not surprised at how good the apple pie was. So only "traditional" item for us was the wild rice. But the company was excellent.

Since we had ‘Butterball’ turkey at my daughter's home, I ended up with a whole fresh, 15.42# turkey from Old Glory Farms.
The farm is on the same road as the entrances to Alpine Valley.
They get booked up quite fast and this year offered a year ahead reservation for $20.
A panel truck full of processed turkey was parked at the end of the drive with attentive wait staff to confirm and get your order, check or cash preferred.
Not much left of a $100 bill.
So yesterday I set a record time for processing, 15 min.
We clean throughly our Manor House sink and the bird rests on the installed grate.
Since the bird is now below waist hight, one can use the weight of the turkey to make cutting easier.
Pick up a wing, let the turkey hang/rest and slice at the joint, the weight of the turkey causes the joint to expose itself and just follow with your boning knife, crack the exposed joint and finish the cut. The leg/thighs are removed the same way.
Skin and the filet away the breasts.
I then debone all the little pieces for a stir fry, the guts are for the ‘Gravy Queen’.
The carcass goes into a stock pot for stock. We had turkey soup last night and had three quarts of stock left over.
The parts have been apportioned for meals and frozen, with the skin and half a breast set aside for a stuffed Turkey roll for tomorrow.
The Butterball was good but my daughter makes the stuffing separately and its just not the same. But with the family together, Rose Friexenet and go withs, a great Thanksgiving!!!
-Richard

ronnie_suburban wrote: Our celebration at my sister's house went off pretty smoothly. To start, my sister put together this awesome charcuterie board+ . . .

=R=

I often wish I had the ability ( and inclination ) to make things look pretty.

lougord99 wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote: Our celebration at my sister's house went off pretty smoothly. To start, my sister put together this awesome charcuterie board+ . . .

=R=

I often wish I had the ability ( and inclination ) to make things look pretty.

LOL - I understand. I've never made a flower out of provolone and yet I wish I had a whole garden full of them!

=R=

I have to admit Mr. Suburban, the Thanksgiving spread looks great. Is everyone in your family a foodie? Your sister is quite talented. Too pretty to eat.

Xexo wrote:I have to admit Mr. Suburban, the Thanksgiving spread looks great. Is everyone in your family a foodie? Your sister is quite talented. Too pretty to eat.

Oh, we ate it . . . probably too much of it. As far as foodiness goes, it's a mixed bag. We have a few gonzo food enthusiasts, a couple fussy food bitches and a few people who'll eat pretty much anything.

=R=

My Thanksgiving cooking continues. I spent the Day at my sister's (she got two of Popeye's Cajun-style turkeys, which were great! ), but I still have a turkey a neighbor gave me. I was glad to succeed at spatchcocking a 17-pound Butterball still partially frozen inside without cutting any of my fingers with the shears or getting any puncture wounds from the rib or neck bones. Whew! I need a rest already.

Can't remember; has anyone posted a link to this video before? Very funny -- if not at all helpful. Don't ask for Stephen if you call the Butterball hotline.

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Xexo wrote:I have to admit Mr. Suburban, the Thanksgiving spread looks great. Is everyone in your family a foodie? Your sister is quite talented. Too pretty to eat.

Oh, we ate it . . . probably too much of it. As far as foodiness goes, it's a mixed bag. We have a few gonzo food enthusiasts, a couple fussy food bitches and a few people who'll eat pretty much anything.

=R=

Well, as you know from my posts, I qualify as one of those fussy bitches, so I can't comment on that!